I recently finished the Devil is a Part-Timer and found that I love Urushihara whump :D, but there really aren't enough fanfics on it. Here's a very angsty Lucifer fic! Enjoy!

…

As he sat at his computer in the Devil's Castle, alone for the first time in days, Urushihara searched vainly for something to numb his mind.

Ashiya usually was there, and in the afternoons, Maou was there too, but today, King Satan was at work and Alciel had gone to the library.

Urushihara groaned. The nightmares that plagued him every night stemmed from real memories, memories that replayed in his mind when there was no one in the room with him.

When he'd first come through the gate with Olba, Urushihara started waking up every night drenched in sweat. A couple of time's he'd woken Olba with his screams, and the other man had punished him severely.

Luckily, ever since Urushihara had moved in with Maou and Ashiya, his nightmares hadn't woken either of them up.

Urushihara was terrified of what might happen if he did disturb King Satan's and his right hand man's sleep. If one of the "good" guys had punished him, an "evil" person would do so much worse, especially considering that the evil person in question was a powerful demon king.

Urushihara shuddered as the memory of his death—or very close call—filled his mind. Wanting to get his mind off of all magic until someone could keep him company and distract him, he decided to research reptiles.

That one has really sharp claws, he noted, leaning closer over the screen. Almost like a blade…

A blinding pain filled his chest as a phantom sword cut through his skin, blood spurting from the wound…

"Stay focused, Urushihara!" he cried out, terrified, as he attempted to push the memory back.

"For once, I must agree with you."

At the voice, Urushihara quickly removed his hand from his chest and covered his naked fear with the bored mask he usually wore.

Luckily, as Ashiya began unpacking the library books, he didn't seem to notice the way Urushihara was fighting for breath and shaking.

Instead, he looked over at the computer screen and shook his head. "Urushihara! Do you not understand why we have let you stay here? Do you not remember that your job is to research, not play around?"

"Sorry," Urushihara mumbled, not wanting to attract more notice than necessary until he was fully calmed down.

Ashiya shook his head at Lucifer as he pulled out the meager contents of the fridge and began to make a meal. "I believe I will have to report you to Maou for this, you ungrateful beast! Maybe your computer will be taken from you, or your PASTA, and definitely…"

Urushihara scrolled down more pictures of reptiles, effectively tuning out Ashiya's tirade.

And as always, the scolding shoved back Urushihara's dark memories. For the time being.

…

That night, as Ashiya and Maou rolled out their futons, Urushihara stayed plugged to his computer. He knew that falling asleep would bring another nightmare, and judging by the way he had relived it during the day, it was likely to be a big one.

Urushihara was determined not to let sleep overtake him. Not when there was a chance of his screams waking Ashiya and Maou.

At 1:00 in the morning, Urushihara felt his eyes begin to droop. Stretching, he decided that a movie would be a good way to pass the time, so he searched for what was popular.

One Disney movie titled Lilo and Stitch caught his eye, so Urushihara plugged in his headphones and immersed himself in the story.

When the movie finished, Urushihara found that his drowsiness was gone and chose the next movie almost happily.

Three movies later, the sun began to rise and so did Maou and Ashiya. Urushihara thumped his head next to his computer in relief and pure exhaustion.

He had made it through the night. It would be another twelve hours before the sun would set again and Urushihara would have to face his nightmares.

"Urushihara? You okay?" Maou asked, worry evident in his voice.

Urushihara removed his face from where it was planted. "Uh, yeah," he said awkwardly, not meeting King Satan's eyes.

"As long as you're sure," Maou replied doubtfully, but he didn't have time to ponder the issue, since he had to get to work.

"Good-bye, Sire," Ashiya called as Maou hurriedly dashed out the door.

The slamming of the door reverberated in Urushihara's ears, and he felt the beginnings of a headache.

Groaning, Urushihara tried to keep himself upright, but it hurt too much. Instead, he fell sideways and sprawled out on the floor.

Ashiya crouched over him in an instant. "Urushihara?" he asked worriedly. "What is wrong? Have you fallen ill?" At this Ashiya grimaced, remembering all the times he himself had fallen ill.

"No," Urushihara closed his eyes and tried to will the headache away, but without good results. "I'm fine."

If Ashiya knew he didn't feel well, Urushihara would be put in his box and told to rest. But rest brought nightmares, and Urushihara couldn't risk it.

So rather than succumb to his tiredness and pain, Urushihara clenched his teeth and forced his body vertical, turning back to the computer screen.

After a short pause in which Urushihara felt Ashiya's searching gaze, Ashiya stood. "Whatever you say, Urushihara," he commented drily. "Whatever you say."

Getting through the day was harder than getting through the night had been. Never needing sleep before entering this world, Urushihara was unaccustomed to trying to keep his tired body awake for over 12 hours, and his headache grew each passing hour.

At least I wasn't left alone today, Urushihara reflected as his PASTA game was taken by an irritated Ashiya.

Although he had a horrible day, Urushihara knew that the night would be worse and as the sky began to darken, a creeping sense of dread filled him.

By 10:00 pm, Urushihara found that he simply couldn't keep his eyes open any longer. He crept over to his box quietly, hoping that the nightmares wouldn't find him tonight…

He was flying, up, up into the sky…An explosion blasted ocean water in all directions, and he flew higher…She was behind him, flying up as well…Her sacred sword was out…With one slice, an immense pain filled him…Feathers and droplets of blood scattered through the sky…He knew it was all over…Agony became his new world…Agony…

Lucifer screamed and sat up in his box, chest heaving. Tears studded his eyes, but he refused to let them fall; refused to show weakness.

"Urushihara?"

The sound of Maou's voice let him know it was all over. Clutching his chest as if to stem the imagined flow of blood, he tried to slow his breathing. Instead, his heartbeat quickened and Urushihara bent over with tears slipping out of the corners of his eyes.

"Urushihara!" Maou poked his head in the box, concerned to see the way his roommate was hunched over. "Ashiya!" he called, and Alciel quickly stood and joined Maou.

"What happened?" Maou gently asked.

Urushihara couldn't bring himself to speak of the horrors. As he opened his mouth to tell them he was fine, a sob escaped his lips.

Maou entered the box and wrapped his arms around Urushihara tightly.

The kind gesture helped pull Urushihara out of his memory, but seemed to release a flood of tears.

As Urushihara sobbed in his arms, Maou exchanged looks with Ashiya. They vowed silently to help Lucifer and relieve him of whatever was bothering him.

Finally, Urushihara's tears slowed to a trickle.

"Did you have a nightmare?" Ashiya asked from where he sat at the front of the box.

Urushihara nodded his head. He took a shaky breath.

"Would you like to talk about it?" Maou asked.

"I remember my…death," Urushihara finally said after a pause, the last word coming out as a whisper. Maou's arms tightened around him. "I'm sorry for interrupting your sleep," he added, hoping King Satan wasn't angry. "This isn't the first time I've dreamt it…I'm fine now."

Maou fiercely glared, and Urushihara flinched, but the glare wasn't at him. "What did Olba do when you woke him up?" he asked angrily.

Urushihara wiped a tear from his eye and shuddered.

"You have no need to apologize," Maou said. "And if Olba conditioned you to feel bad about something you can't help…"

"How many times have you had the dream?" Ahiya's voice was wary.

"Every night," Urushihara said quietly, eyes on the floor.

Maou frowned, and his anger blew away. "Is there anything we can do to help?" he asked gently.

Urushihara normally would have exploited the offer, but his insides warmed at the kind words. "I don't like being left alone," he confessed.

Ashiya nodded. "We can have Miss Suzuno come over while Maou and myself are out!" he exclaimed triumphantly, and Urushihara half smiled at his friend's passion.

The raw fear the nightmare had brought him seemed to have faded, but not like usual, where it lurked at the corners of his mind. Now, a peacefulness settled upon Urushihara, and he leaned into Maou's embrace.

"Why don't you try to get some sleep now?" Maou quietly suggested. "We can talk more in the morning."

Urushihara's eyes began to droop, and before he knew it, he was curled up in Maou's lap, the protective arms still encircling him.

It was the best sleep he'd had in ages.

…